1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a geared turbine machine, preferably a radial geared turbine machine, with an integrated power gear for a machine train, an integrated power gear for such a geared turbine machine, as well as a machine train with such a geared turbine machine and a further compressor, preferably a main compressor.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally a machine train includes a drive unit, for example a steam turbine, a gas turbine or an expander, more preferably an expansion or residual gas turbine, and one or a plurality of compressors driven by these drive units for example for the compression of air or other gases.
From internal practical operation machine, trains are known wherein a double-driving steam turbine on one side drives a booster compressor with a plurality of compressor stages and on an opposite side of the steam turbine drives a main compressor which draws in, compresses a medium and charges the booster compressor with a part mass flow thereof, which the latter further compresses for example to one to three pressure stages.
Here, the rotational speeds of steam turbine, main compressor, and booster compressor have to be matched to one another. While for thermodynamic reasons the rotational speeds of the steam turbine and the compressor stages of the booster compressor should be relatively high, they are however lower for the main compressor—because of its large diameters and the high centrifugal forces connected therewith—and in the past have limited the rotational speed of the steam turbine, which is disadvantageous in terms of its efficiency and its size.
It is therefore known according to internal company practice to design the booster compressor as a geared compressor as disclosed, for example, by US2006/156728, which discloses a geared compressor with an integral gear according to U.S. Pat. No. 5,382,132, in order to operate the compressor stages at higher rotational speeds than the main compressor. U.S. Pat. No. 3,826,587 discloses a three-stage geared compressor wherein the drive rotational speed is stepped up into higher rotational speeds in the compressor stages.
DE-GM 7122098 discloses reducing the rotational speed of a steam turbine through a separate spur gear in front of the main compressor, however because of the separate gear this not only increases the manufacturing and assembly expenditure, but also the axial length of the machine train and thus transport and building costs.
Known machine trains have further disadvantages. The previous arrangement of main compressor and booster compressor thus requires a radial exhaust flow from the steam turbine on both sides of the steam turbine. This worsens the efficiency. If a condenser is connected downstream of the steam turbine this condenser charged with the radially exhausting steam has to be arranged in a horizontal plane above or below the steam turbine which substantially increases the height of the entire machine train and thus more preferably the costs for the foundation and building accommodating it.